GUEST BLOG: Why General practice should be an oversubscribed speciality

GUEST BLOG: Why General practice should be an oversubscribed speciality

14th March 2019

Why General practice should be an oversubscribed speciality

As doctors we often make career decisions very young in life or just many years before attaining the actual role we wanted. For some of us it can be several years down the line before we ask if it is still right for us. Or more importantly serving our lives now, where circumstances may have changed considerably. In the face of mounting pressures on clinical practice this lack of personal career planning is partly why I believe many doctors are being forced to consider whether to stay in medicine or leave all together.

In recent times I have come to question if this needs to be the case. I was recently asked to give a talk about portfolio careers to a group of GP trainees. After the talk one of the trainees approached me and said, “if medical students understood the opportunities a GP career could offer then we wouldn’t have a recruitment problem in General practice”. This got me thinking how general practice could be promoted once more as the flexible lifestyle option. In fact, even in the more traditional general practice roles of partnership or salaried it’s hard to find a GP without an additional interest. These they often cited as one of the things that helps them cope with the daily challenges of general practice. At my previous practice alone, there was a CCG lead, Medico-legal expert witness, GPWSI in Dermatology, Diabetes regional lead, Out if hours work, Aesthetics Doctor and a exam question writer. All of these interests served to strengthen and improve their grass-roots general practice work.

Having held a variety of GP roles personally over the last 10 years alongside a number of allied medical roles and a non-medical one. I believe this is key to a balanced and enjoyable career. During a recent mentorship through my local LMC I was blown away to see the breadth of career options that could be coupled to a GP career. I recommend mentorship or formal career coaching to anyone feeling stuck in their current role. I had considered leaving medicine but far from making me want to leave medicine, it has given me a renewed passion for showing people the flexibility of a general practice career. Currently I get to see patients and contribute to a practice at the same time as having a diverse range of projects and interests. Sometimes we have such blinkers on in busy jobs or conveyer belt training we forget to look up and see the options we have around us.

Evidently NHS England is embracing and supporting career diversity across all medical specialities with their Clinical Entrepreneurship program. It is taking applications for its 4th year running now. Traditionally only research or teaching were supported by the NHS as an option for alternative or add-on careers to clinical medicine. With clinical innovation coming increasingly from the commercial sector they’re seeking to develop and ultimately retain talented professionals within the NHS itself. Their research has shown by welcoming innovation and encouraging individual ideas they are in fact retaining those much-needed professionals that otherwise would have been lost to the private sector.

I would challenge anyone at any stage of their career to consider what is important to them. I asked the GP registrars just that. What interests they have both inside and outside of medicine to craft their career into a sustainable and fulfilling one. Clearly some will still value the stability and ownership that can come from traditional career paths in general practice. For those though, who may have grown unsure in the face of bad press of their career choice I hope that they left with a renewed sense of hope of what general practice offers. I believe it offers the option to combine many aspects of a career that so many covert. In embracing this I would hope we would not only retain hardworking innovative practitioners in our ranks but also attract a whole new generation keen to improve and sustain the future of general practice.

Dr Claire Harris was a GP Partner for over 6 years. With interests in women's health, contraception, sexual health and palliative care, Claire now works as a Locum GP. She has an additional interest in lifestyle medicine and is trained in Aesthetic medicine. Claire has a passion for holistic healthcare and a vision of fusing modern medicine and complementary medicine.

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Very smooth changeover to BW, with good communication at all times. Very efficient in the production of the accounts (as promised) and the Partners are delighted with the advice received to date.

Practice Manager

Northumberland

BW Medical Accountants have a good working knowledge of General Practice and are keenly aware of the challenges Practices face within the changing environment of the NHS. Benfield Park have been very impressed by the way BW Medical continue to deliver the range of services they provide from Accounts to Tax and NHS Pension advice.

We have found Practice consultation and engagement from BW Medical specifically helpful to shape the future of the Practice.

Senior Partner

Benfield Park Medical Group, Newcastle

We had no hesitation in moving to BW Medical Accountants. For any business your accountant is integral, and for us one of the most important factors to this relationship is to have a personal and trusting approach, which BW have undoubtedly achieved.

The service we receive and the interest they show in our practice assures us that they have a genuine interest in us and commitment to us. More importantly they are always helpful and polite to answer even the dumbest of questions! They give us confidence and reassurance knowing that they are always very up-to-date with all the numerous changes within general practice and we would have no hesitation in recommending them to other practices seeking a professional and personal accountancy service.

Jackie Rotherham, Practice Manager

The James Street Family Practice, Lincolnshire

We moved to BW Medical Accountants in 2013 and we are delighted that we have. Having been in the same business for over 20 years it is important to have a relationship with the accountancy team but most importantly you need to have trust. We made the decision to move our business to BW Medical Accountants and having worked with the Team especially Tina we are very satisfied. Tina going through the accounts brought to our attention many things that I was not aware of in the past. The first years' experience can only be described as excellent.

Customer service is first and foremost with BW and this shines through as each and every one of them are approachable, helpful and most importantly understand and know the business. General practice is complex and is going to get more complex in the coming years. We need Accountants who truly understand our business. We as a practice and as individuals would certainly recommend BW Medical Accountants.

Gloria Middleton, Managing Partner

Westbourne Medical Group, Sunderland

We changed to BW Medical Accountants and I would say we have just had the most transparent and understandable end of year meeting and the best planning advice I have ever had in 16 years of practice.